After many years of on-again, off-again work, it's time for me to declare the first version of "Wumpus 2000" finished. It still has its buggy moments, there are plenty of features yet to be implemented, and -- most importantly -- the game play might be severely unbalanced (or just plain dull). But I still think it's pretty cool and I'm happy to share it with others. I don't think anybody else has tried this sort of thing before with Inform, though Wumpus tributes aren't exactly rare.
|
(you will need a Z-Machine interpreter to play it, which you can get here) |
(For the discouraged adventurer) |
(Viewable in any text editor) |
|
In the Caves of the Wumpus Queen! The essential guide for mapping and playing Wumpus 2000! |
The game itself has two main inspirations, the first of which is obvious: "Hunt the Wumpus," a classic computer game by Gregory Yob. Like the original "Wumpus," this version consists of a series of interconnected caves populated by creatures and other dangers which can be detected in adjacent caves. For instance, if you're next to the cave with the Wumpus in it you'll be given a clue that he's nearby...but you won't know which direction he's in. The joy of "Hunt the Wumpus" came from deducing where the dangers were so you could circle around and attack (or avoid) them. In "Wumpus 2000," however, the map is so complicated -- and the features so numerous -- that the strategies for winning are different.
It's all about mapping, really...without making a map you'll get lost pretty quickly. Unlike the original "Wumpus," this souped-up version contains a much larger -- and randomly generated -- map which also takes into account heat, depth and moisture. This reflects the other main influence on "Wumpus 2000": the "Phthor" and "Chthon" books by Piers Anthony, which described an intriguing underworld that I wish I could just rip off with a good conscience. There are also items to collect and weapons to use against the many different creatures that are wandering in the tunnels. You'll need to drink water and eat food, deal with dark areas, choose your battles wisely and struggle with cliffs, pits, and rivers.
Since each map is different, the strategies for winning will never be quite the same. But for those who need some advice, here's a page of basic tips and tricks.
"Wumpus 2000" was written in Inform, Graham Nelson's portable development system for text adventures. In order to play it you will need to download an interpreter for your particular system, and use it to play the game file. I am also making the source code of "Wumpus 2000" available for anybody who'd like to know how it all works. I've tried to make the code as easy to modify as possible -- you can add items, monsters, features and regions with very little trouble -- but if you have any questions just ask.
Copious thanks go out to Graham Nelson for making Inform available to the masses, and to all the folks at rec.arts.int-fiction for advice over the years. Extra-special thanks to the folks who beta-tested this game several months ago: Greg (Himself), Martin Bays and Adam Thornton. You taught me the most valuable lesson I've learned so far: making things difficult (and obscure) for the player does not necessarily make the game more realistic...but it can make it more frustrating!
Known Issues & To-Do List
* Ambiguities with names of sensors makes it difficult to pick them up (if more than one is in a room)
* Creatures can conceivably walk through the exit door, whether it's open or not.
* Too much fog!
* The player really does not need to know about wind.
* Beef up the Hurkle so that his key won't get lost in an unseen fight.
* Track down occasional error that appears when cave is being generated.
* It is a shame there are no "superbats".
* Better implement ice.